Grand-piano action



April 15 l v L. o. PERRY GRAND PIANO ACTION Filed Aug. 8 192 mkwPatented Apr. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,490,229 PATENT OFFlCE.

LYCUS D. PERRY, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TOLUIJWIG & COMPANY,

' OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

GRAND-PIANO ACTIO'N.

Application filed August 8, 1921.

To a whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LYCUS D. PERRY, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Rochelle, in the county of VVestchester and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grand-PianoActions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to piano actions,

and more particularly to a piano action in which the hammer is actuatedvertically, as in grand pianos.

In the various types of grand piano ac tious heretofore used, it hasbeen necessary to employ additional compensating means because of thegradually increasing weight of the ham 'ners from the treble to the bassend of the scale. Various means, such as springs or weights, have beenadded to each key or action unit to obtain the desired uni formresistance to the fingers in manipulating the keys. ployed is theinsertion of lead slugs in holes bored into the keys.

An object of the present invention is to produce a simplified pianoaction to actuate a vertically striking hammer which Will meet thenecessary requirements of touch. In accomplishing this object, in thepresent invention, many of the regulating and actuating members used inthe usual type of grand piano action are eliminated, and a single springis substituted in each action unit which results in the production of anefficient action and also compensates for the different weights of thehammers. By means of the present invention, a desired touch may beobtained throughout the key board and the cost of manufacture andregulation reduced.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown one embodiment of theinvention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an action unit, and,

Figure 2 is a detail view of the spring employed.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates the usualpiano key pivotally mounted upon a key frame 2. A capstan 3 is mountedon the key and is adapted to engage a wippen 4. The wippen is pivotallyconnected to a flange 5 and normally rests upon the capstan. The flangeis secured to a stationary rail 6, carried by One method generally em-'Serial No. 490,681.

or supported on a bracket 7. A jack 8 is pivotally connected to thewippen, as at 9. A hammer 10 is secured to a shank 11, the shank beingpivotally connected to a flange 12-, carried by a supporting rail 13.The supporting rail is secured to an arm 14 of the bracket 7. A ackregulating device 15 is mounted on the supporting rail and is providedwith a threaded element 16 having a head 17 adapted to engage theforward end 18 of the jack. The compensating spring is connected to thewippen and the shank of the hammer. As shown, the spring comprises abody portion 19, the lower end of which is bent to form a coil 20 whichis adapted to be arranged in a recess in the top of the wippen andreceives a pin 21 whereby the spring is pivotally supported on thewippen. The lower terminal is provided with an eye 22 for the receptionof a screw 23, to retain the spring in position and to regulate thestrength of same. A dowel pin 24 is arranged in the shank of the hammerand a flexible element or cord 25 is connected thereto. The free end ofthis cord is secured in a hook 26 formed on the end of the spring.

The hammer shank is provided with a knuckle 27 adapted to be engaged bythe jack. When actuated, the hammer is adapted to strike a string 28 inthe usual manner. A back check 29 is arranged on the rear of the key andis adapted to engage the hammer on the rebound. A stop 30 is carried bythe supporting rail adapted to limit the movement of the jack. A lever31 is pivotally connected to the hammer rail 12 and carries a rest rail31 at its free end. The rest' rail 31 is provided with a pad or cushion32 which acts as a bumper for the hammer shank when the latter issuddenly released and when the back check 29 is not in position to catchthe hammer, as when the key is struck and immediately released, as instaccato playing. The rail 31' is sup ported by a member 33 connectedwith a soft pedal (not shown) and adapted to be raised thereby for softtones, as will be obvious. A jack spring 3 1 is arranged between thejack and the wippen. Movement of the jack in a reverse direction iscontrolled by a regulating screw 35 having a head 36 which may beprovided with a cushion 37 and is adapted to engage an arm 38 carried bythe wippen.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Then the forward end of the key 1 is depressed, the rear end carryingthe capstan is raised, lifting the wippen 4. The jack 8, assisted by thespring 19 raises the shank and hammer toward the string 28. As theforward end 18 of the jack comes in contact with the regulating button17, the jack spring Set is compressed and the upper end of the jack isdisengaged from the hammer shank knuckle 27. The felt cushion 8Oprevents the jack from traveling too far past its upper po sition whenthe momentum of the jack overcomes the resistance of the spring 3+1. Thehammer travels to the string by momentum and after striking it reboundstraveling downward until it is stopped by contact with back check 29. Inthe checked position, the knuckle 27 is nearer to the jack pivot 9 thanwhen the jack is in striking position, hence the spring 19 is placedunder additional tension. In the return of the key to the position ofrest, the first part of the movement releases the hammer from the backcheck and the spring 19 tends to raise the hammer, which tendency isaugmented by the jack spring 34. At this moment, the upper end of thejack bears upon the curved surface of the knuckle 27 acting as aneccentric and the jack is returned to striking position under theknuckle, before the key is fully returned to its normal position makingit possible to repeat a stroke when the key is less than onehalfreturned to its normal position.

The elimination of excessive weight in the action unit greatly reducesfriction, producing a smoother and more responsive touch. By theelimination of counter weights in the front of the keys, the hammers maybe raised by means of a lever 31 for soft effects and when so raised,the keys maintain their normal position. In the usual type ofconstruction, when the hammers are raised for soft efiects, the keysdrop, and this is very undesirable.

The strain exerted by the spring 19 on the cord 25 which is in thegeneral direction of the arrow is outward and away from the hammer shankpivot thereby exerting a force in a substantially lateral direction onthe wippen pivot. The spring 19 is regulated to compensate for nearlythe entire weight of the hammer and shank and as the strain on thewippen pivot is in a line forming an acute angle to the key, only aminor part of the weight of the hammer and shank is transmitted to thecapstan 3, and only a fraction of the difference in weight of thehammers is effective to the touch.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the sub'joined claims.

I claim:

1. A grand piano action comprising a wippen pivotally mounted adjacentone end, a jack pivotally connected adjacent the opposite end of saidwippen, a verticall striking hammer pivotally moruited above andcontacting with the jack to be actuated thereby, and a spring connectedadjacent its lower end to said wippen between the pivot thereof and saidjack, said spring being flexed to exert its greatest tension inalinement with its ends, the upper end of said spring being connected tosaid hammer substantially in vertical alinenient with the lower end ofsaid sprin 2. A grand piano action comprising a. wippen pivoted adjacentone end, a jack carried by said wippen adjacent the opposite endthereof, a hammer pivotally mounted above and contacting with the jackto be actuated thereby, a spring flexed to exert its greatest tension inalinement with its ends, said spring having its upper end connected withsaid hammer, a pin secured to said wippen between the pivot thereof andsaid jack, said spring being provided adjacent its lower end with a coilsurrounding said pin, said coil being disposed in substantially verticalalinement with the upper end of said spring, and a tension adjustingscrew mounted in said wippen and adapted to engage the lower end of saidspring.

In testimony whereof I atiii; my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LYCUS D. PERRY.

Witnesses Gus NIErKn,

STANLEY l VORDEN.

